Pouring bottle cap



Oct. 5, 1954 H. A. SCHULER 2,690,852

POURING BOTTLE CAP Filed Jfily 9, 1951 IN VEN TOR. 72040 AZ dzfiaza? BY of Patented Oct. 5, 1954 UNITED s TAT ES PATENT OFFICE PUURING BOTTLE CAP Harold A. Schuler, Woodside, N. Y.

Application July 9, 1951, Serial No. 235,766-

1 Claim.

This invention relates to bottle caps, and more particularly to bottle caps provided with a pouring outlet and adapted to be substituted for the common paper closure of a milk bottle after the said closure has been removed. A cap of the type set forth in the present invention will not only permit of easy and immediate pouring of the contents of the bottle, but will also maintain the contents in a practically air-tight condition.

The-above broad as well as additional andmore specific objects will be clarified in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purposeof illustration, and that it is therefore neither intended nor desired to limit the inventionnecessarily to. any or all of the exact details of construction shown except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle cap embodying one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and simultaneously showing partly in section and with parts broken away a milk bottle having the said bottle cap applied thereto, and further illustrating the utility of the said bottle cap.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the bottle cap.

Fig. 5 is a view substantially similar to Fig. 2 but showing the cap of Fig. 4, in section on the line 5-5 of the latter, applied to the bottle in place of the cap of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates the bottle cap per se, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The cap Ill comprises the roof I l and the depending flange I2. A suitable annular washer I3 is provided on the inside of the flange l2 for air-tight engagement of the cap on a bottle, such as the milk bottle I4, and simultaneously for the purpose of releasably locking the cap on the bottle.

Near the circumferential edge of the roof H, an opening I is provided through the roof, and this opening may be of square or rectangular conformation, as well as circular or any other desired shape. A pouring spout I6 is formed integrally with the roof I l and extends upward and outward from the roof, substantially as shown. The free end of the spout I6 is provided with a closure flap I1 which is provided with downwarclly projecting ears [8; the latter being pivoted by means of pins [9 passing through opposed walls of the" spout and thus pivoting the flap I! on the end of thespout. It is thus'apparent that when the bottle is in normally upright position, the flap 1! willbe urged by gravity' to cover the free 'end 'of the spout, as. shown in'Fig. l; and that when thebottle is held in. the pouring position shown in Fig. 2 gravity aswell as the force of the liquid'bottle" contents will cause the fiapito open. Thus; after pouring Iconitents from the bottle, the .flap "will automatically close upon standing the bottle upright.

A vent "i9 is provided through the roof I l "near the oppositeedge of 'theiroofin diametrical alignment with the spoutopening l5; A- disc'20 is pivotally mounted on a pin 2! extending through the roof II, in close surface contact with the roof and having a diameter such that the disc covers thevent l9. The disc, however, is provided with an. opening or passage 22 therethrough which by rotation ofitne'disc; isadap'ted to become aligned or. disaligned with respectto the vent l9. An upturnedifinger piece 23 integral with'th'e disc perm-its ofzeasy rotation of thedisc.

The bottle cap shown in modifiediform-atl l in Figs. 4 and 5 comprises the roof 25, the flange 26, and the internal washer 21, the latter serving the same purpose as the washer I 3 previously described. Again, near one edge of the roof 25, an opening 28 is provided through the roof, and an upwardly and outwardly extending curved stub spout 29 extends from the roof around the opening 28. A vent 30, corresponding to the vent l9 previously described and similarly positioned with respect to the spout opening in the roof, is likewise provided in the roof 25.

A unitary combined spout and vent flap 3! is provided in this modified form of the invention. The member 3| comprises a curved spout portion 32 tapering from a relatively large-dimensioned base 33 to a relatively smaller-dimensioned free extremity 34. The dimensions of the spout base 33 are sufficiently large to enable the same to fit freely and loosely over the stub 29, and the axial curvature of the spout 32 is of the same degree as that of the stub 29.

From the base 33 of the spout 32, a fiat tongue 35 extends integrally from the rear wall of the spout. Spaced upstanding ears 36 are formed on the roof 25 forward of the opening 28 and in diametrical alignment with the openings 28 and 30. A relatively elongated finger 31 extends forward from the front wall of the spout 32 and a pivot pin 38 passing through the ears 36 and the finger 31 near the base of the latter pivotally secures the member 3| to the roof 25 so that the outer end of the tongue 35 is positioned over the vent 30. The bottom surface 39 of the finger 31 is flat and lies substantially in the plane of the bottom surface of the tongue 35, and, as is apparent in Fig. 5, the said surface 39 is spaced from the surface of the roof 25 when the tongue 35 rests against the roof, that is, when the bottle is positioned upright, or nearly upright, the position of the member 3| in the latter case being illustrated in Fig. 4. It is further apparent in Fig. that when the bottle is tilted for pouring, the weight of the member 3| will cause the same to swing about its pivot pin 38 the distance permitted by the normal distance between the bottom surface 39 of the finger 31 and the roof 25, which is and need be only a very small distance, sufficient only to move the tongue 35 out from and clear of the vent 30. Thus, the outer end of the finger 31 serves as a limit stop to the outward movement of the tongue 35. A flap 40, in all respects like the flap [1 previously described and for the same purpose, is provided on the free end of the spout 32.

In the case of the pouring bottle cap shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is apparent that normally, when the bottle is upright, the tongue 35 covers the vent 30 and the fiap 40 closes the spout. Upon tilting the bottle for pouring, the member 3! will assume the pouring position shown in Fig. 5 and the flap 40 will of course open.

Thus, the operations of pouring contents from the bottle and of restoring the bottle to the refrigerator are fully accomplished with one hand without the need to manipulate a vent flap, the vent being automatically closed upon restoring the bottle to upright position. The projection of the stub spout 29 into the spout 32 assures passage of the liquid through the latter.

Excepting possibly for the various pivot pins above mentioned, the entire bottle cap including all its parts are preferably made of a suitable plastic material of which a number of varieties are available on the market.

Obviously modifications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

A pouring bottle cap for a bottle comprising a roof having an opening therethrough near the front edge thereof and having a spout extending upward and outward therefrom around said opening, said roof having a vent therethrough positioned on an imaginary diameter in alignment with said opening near the rear edge of the roof, a second spout of greater lateral dimensions and greater length than said first spout, said second spout having a finger near the base thereof extending forward from the front wall thereof, ears extending upward from said roof forward of said opening, said finger being pivotally mounted between said ears, said second spout being positioned over and around said first spout, and means for normally closing said vent when the bottle is upright and for automatically opening the vent when the bottle is tilted forward comprising a tongue integral with and extending rearward from the base of said second spout and positioned over said vent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 410,342 Arnold Sept. 3, 1889 981,457 Molfenter Jan. 10, 1911 1,328,104 Servis Jan. 13, 1920 1,695,396 Traub Dec. 18, 1928 1,791,004 Shepard Feb. 3, 1931 2,180,582 Crane Nov. 21, 1939 2,188,184 I-Iogg Jan. 23, 1940 2,203,133 Englert June 4, 1940 2,511,429 Clare June 13, 1950 2,545,350 Fuld Mar. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,303 Great Britain of 1894 618,363 Great Britain Feb. 21, 1949 

